Updated the apearance of the blog a little, The header picture was taken at Galveston State Park, this last August. The Theme is an upgrade from Twenty Ten to Twenty Eleven. Pretty much the default but it works.
I plan on more changes this year, like moving the blog to Host Gater, and combining the Wiki and the Blog so they share the site and host.
There are a a couple of stories that surfaced this week. That illustrate what seems to be a trend with gun control movements and their lack of understang of the folks they are trying to effect.
It was about 2 years ago, that Californians decided to make a statement by making use of California’s open carry law. The were allowed to open carry their handguns as long as they were unloaded. Folks started taking their exposed guns into all sorts of restaurants and meeting places.
The fight for retailers heated up in early January when gun enthusiasts in northern California began walking into Starbucks and other businesses to test state laws that allow gun owners to carry weapons openly in public places. As it spread to other states, gun control groups quickly complained about the parade of firearms in local stores.
Some were spontaneous, with just one or two gun owners walking into a store. Others were organized parades of dozens of gun owners walking into restaurants with their firearms proudly at their sides.
The panty wetting gun banners got all upset at seeing guns just dangling of folks hips right out there in the open. The gunbanners complained and one by one many of the establishments adopted a “No Guns Allowed” policy. Starbucks stood their ground to continued their policy to allow folks who were legally carrying to exercise their right under the law. Continue reading
I had the privilege working on a project a few years ago. It was an experiment for creating a drug delivery system for targeted cancer cures or MEPS. A lot of people poured their hearts and souls into, but so far not much has happened to forward the idea. Maybe there is hope:
Angela Zhang of Cupertino has an idea:
… mix cancer medicine in a polymer that would attach to nanoparticles — nanoparticles that would then attach to cancer cells and show up on an MRI. so doctors could see exactly where the tumors are. Then she thought shat if you aimed an infrared light at the tumors to melt the polymer and release the medicine, thus killing the cancer cells while leaving healthy cells completely unharmed.
Angela is only 17 years old. Angela, Please keep it up and pursue your idea.
Tomorrow his website and my wiki will be going black in protest of the Legislation known as SOPA or PIPA. These pieces of legislation are designed to give the government complete control over internet access. The experts are in almost universal agreement that this would severely limit and change the internet and web as we know it. Others such as Congressman Lamar Smith say that the boycott is a publicity stunt. I assure him the boycott is because we are afraid. Afraid that he is attempting to make us inadvertent felons. Afraid that the government would have the power to strip us of years worth of labor and work, without so much as a day in court.
So I join Wikipedia and thousands of other sites in the hope that folks take notice.
I am sorry for any inconvenience.
To many voters a candidates stance on the second ammendment say it all. The candidates support says a lot about what a candidate really believes about rights and the constitution, and maybe even more about how he feels about his constitutes. A candidate that doesn’t trust the citizens probably doesn’t deserve our vote. Now Mitt Romney isn’t the most conservative of the candidates, but where does he stand on the the RKBA issues? Surprisingly, he fares pretty well. A posting for GOAL ( Gun Owners Action League) iterates some highlights:
Legislation: During the Romney Administration, no anti-Second Amendment or anti-sportsmen legislation made its way to the Governor’s desk.
Governor Romney did sign five pro-Second Amendment/pro-sportsmen bills into law. His administration also worked with Gun Owners’ Action League and the Democratic leadership of the Massachusetts House and Senate to remove any anti-Second Amendment language from the Gang Violence bill passed in 2006. A summary of this legislation follows.
Budgetary: In the Governor’s first year, he made a political error when he submitted a budget that did away with the Inland Fisheries & Game Fund. (More of this is explained below.) Fortunately, after this matter was resolved, GOAL was able to establish better communications with the Governor’s office. In working with the legislature and the Governor we were able to restore the Fund and increase the money released from it to better manage the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Over the next three years, GOAL was also successful in getting some “capital revenue” released to acquire land for the Division.
Regulations: During his administration, the Executive Office of Public Safety passed a new regulation providing free replacement of firearm licenses to those who had them stolen or lost. (A resident license fee in Massachusetts at that time was $100 every 6 years.) Prior to this new regulation a citizen would have to repeat the entire application process and pay the whole fee to acquire a replacement license.
Policy: His administration conducted a review of the state’s Environmental Police agency (Game Wardens). One major concern was to keep in place the hiring requirement that officers needed to have some environmental education background not strictly law enforcement. This was a policy that GOAL worked to support.
Fees: In 2003 Governor Romney filed budgetary language to raise firearm license fees from $25 to $75. That year the legislature actually raised them to $100 in the General Appropriations bill (Section 34 of Chapter 140 of the Acts of 2003). At that time a resident license was good for 4 years. In 2004 a law was passed increasing the license term to 6 years.
In 2005, Governor Romney waived the administrative fees for the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Fund. The state currently charges these fees that were as much as 36% a year. Gun Owners’ Action League worked with environmental organizations to urge the Governor to temporarily waive the fees until permanent legislation could be passed to do away with the fees all together.
Appointments: One of the agencies that GOAL watches very closely is the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. This agency is run by a strong seven-person board. The appointments to this board are spread out over several years so that drastic changes cannot be made to it in any given year. During his administration, Governor Romney made five appointments to this board. All of the individuals appointed to the board were supported by GOAL.
Proclamations: During his administration, Governor Romney issued a proclamation declaring May 7, 2005 as “The Right to Bear Arms Day”. The proclamation was issued on this date to coincide with GOAL’s Annual Banquet.
Newt Gingrich is some conservative’s favorite. His support for 2nd amendment issues has been a bit on week side. He supported both Lautenburg and the Safezones Gun Bans.
While Newt used the institutional gun lobby as a mouthpiece to convince millions of gun owners nationwide that “as long as he is Speaker, no gun-control legislation is going to move in committee or on the House floor,” he was working behind the scenes to pass gun control. In 1996, Newt Gingrich turned his back on guns and voted for the anti-gun Brady Campaign’s Lautenberg Gun Ban, which strips the Second Amendment rights of citizens involved in misdemeanor domestic violence charges or temporary protection orders –- in some cases for actions as minor as spanking a child or grabbing a spouse’s wrist.(1) Gingrich even called the anti-gun measure “reasonable,” and predicted that it would sail through his Republican-controlled House of Representatives with little trouble.(2) The Lautenberg Gun Ban is one of the Congressional Republicans’ worst betrayals of gun owners, and those complicit in its passage deserve nothing but contempt from gun owners. This gun control measure ranks right up there with the Brady Registration Act as the most aggressive gun control in America, denying hundreds of thousands of would-be gun owners the right to self defense. Gingrich also stood shoulder to shoulder with Nancy Pelosi to pass the “Criminal Safezones Act” which prevents armed citizens from defending themselves in certain arbitrary locations. You and I both know that Criminal Safezones don’t protect law-abiding citizens, but actually protect the criminals who ignore them.(3)
Then there is Ron Paul, the Constitutionalist Libertarian. He has been more than just a little bit hypocritical, While he claims to stand for less government, freedom, and the right to keep and bear arms. He voted against a cpommon sense bill that would have reduced paper work on gun manufacturers. It was revenue neutral but greatly reduced reporting red tape. While Ron Paul claims and provides some support for support of the 2nd amendment.
Voted NO on prohibiting product misuse lawsuits on gun manufacturers. A bill to prohibit civil liability actions from being brought or continued against manufacturers, distributors, dealers, or importers of firearms or ammunition for damages, injunctive or other relief resulting from the misuse of their products by others. A YES vote would:
- Prohibit individuals from filing a qualified civil liability action
- Exempt lawsuits brought against individuals who knowingly transfer a firearm that will be used to commit a violent or drug-trafficking crime
- Exempt lawsuits against actions that result in death, physical injury or property damage due solely to a product defect
- Dismiss of all civil liability actions pending on the date of enactment
- Prohibit the manufacture, import, sale or delivery of armor piercing ammunition
Reference: Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act; Bill S 397 ; vote number 2005-534 on Oct 20, 2005 Voted NO on prohibiting suing gunmakers & sellers for gun misuse. Vote to pass a bill that would prohibit liability lawsuits from being brought against gun manufacturers and dealers based on the criminal misuse of firearms. The bill would also block these actions from being brought up against gun trade organizations and against ammunition makers and sellers. The measure would apply immediately to any pending cases. Several specific exceptions to the ban exist. This includes civil suits would be allowed against a maker or dealer who “knowingly and willfully violated” state or federal laws in the selling or marketing of a weapon. Design and manufacturing defect lawsuits are also permitted when weapons are “used as intended.Reference: Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act; Bill HR 1036 ; vote number 2003-124 on Apr 9, 2003 Voted NO on decreasing gun waiting period from 3 days to 1. Vote to pass a bill requiring anyone who purchases a gun at a gun show to go through an instant background check which must be completed within 24 hours [instead of 72 hours].Reference: Bill introduced by McCollum, R-FL; Bill HR 2122 ; vote number 1999-244 on Jun 18, 1999
He also voted against the easing of reporting requirements for gun manufactures.
Really strange that Ron Paul would vote against this. Rep. Paul is has claimed he is against oppressive taxes. The fact that the excise taxes had to be reported and paid Bi weekly, made these particular taxes oppressive and punitive. In fact reducing the reporting time to quarterly saves the government $4M over the bi weekly reporting. What is with Ron Paul? Is he supporting punitive taxation policies or has he turned anti gun? Maybe he is just losing it and doesn’t really know what he is voting on.
Weird things in the News:
Marin County California Makes tough anti-tobacco stance but makes clear exception for marijuana:
Marin’s war on smoking was blunted Tuesday as a measure cracking down on tobacco and other “weed” was sent back for revision to make clear the crackdown does not include marijuana.
Companies are to facing fines for not using fuels that don’t exist.
When the companies that supply motor fuel close the books on 2011, they will pay about $6.8 million in penalties to the Treasury because they failed to mix a special type of biofuel into their gasoline and diesel as required by law.
Righthaven Complains about “Scortched Earth Efforts” to Enforce Judgements
Obama warns that Republicans threaten the “very core of what this country stands for.”
Obviously we have different opinions on what the core values that the country stands for.
The Occupy 5 at Galveston
The Occupy Galveston folks were all set up on the seawall this afternoon. There were only 5 of them although I believe one may have been just a passerby. They were older than most of the Occupy people that I’ve seen on the tube around the country, and they were enjoying themselves. There isn’t any encampment and the area around them was pretty clean. I wonder if they realize that most of their complaints are pretty much the same as the TEA Partiers and libertarians, and that the fix for their issues just might be Hope and Change for November. If they change their minds perhaps all those signs could be made into a shelter or two.
Yes, Galveston different and Occupy Galveston is likely different from any of the other Occupy groups.
A new law went in effect for the New Year in Chicago. This time it is Nannyism to protect surfs from caustic chemicals.
The law, which took effect Sunday, requires those who seek to buy caustic or noxious substances, except for batteries, to provide government-issued photo identification that shows their name and date of birth. The cashier then must log the name and address, the date and time of the purchase, the type of product, the brand and even the net weight.
While the new law might be considered a nuisance, it takes on a racial implication with Holders claim that asking for an ID is racial discrimination.
Eric Holder has been on a racialist bender the last few weeks. Last week, he said his skin color is responsible for the fury of criticism over his Justice Department allowing thousands of guns to flood Mexico. Friday, he blocked South Carolina from implementing a voter ID law under the Voting Rights Act saying it was racially discriminatory.
Sixteen states, including South Carolina, must submit all election law changes to the United States Justice Department for approval. States also have the option of bypassing DOJ and going straight to court for approval, an option they should readily choose. This law, unlike so many federal laws, actually has a legitimate Constitutional basis – the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which bars racial discrimination in voting. Passed in 1965, it was designed to prevent states from drifting toward renewed discrimination. It is now being challenged as unconstitutionally outdated by Arizona and Shelby County (AL) in federal court.
I believe its really racism of convenience. Leftist prefer to call actions racist only if it suits their political agenda. If something promotes nannyism or big government then PC arguments don’t accept that an action is racist. But removing dead peoples voter rights is racist, because there are more minority dead voters than dead WASP voters.
Scattered alters of stacked sandstone red rock.
We went to Sedona a few weeks ago for some R & R a beautiful place that has a reputatation as a gathering place for mystics, hippys and other odd sorts. I wasn’t surprise when I visited the Airport Mesa, a place concidered a vortex, that people had stacked the red sandstone rocks to make pillers. These seemed to me to be a sort of hippy alter built assist communication with some unknown god. The formations were scattered but all around the area. I wondered what the people were thinking that would spend the time gathering and stacking these stones. It is what one should expect in the land of hippies and new agers I supposed. I have seen lots of silly things in Galveston, we here tend not to take things very seriously, and do have an apreciate of art and music, but I never expected this type of thing here.
Hundreds of rock stack alters on Galveston's Seawall.
On the seawall at Fort Crockett Park there was a breakwater built into the seawall made up of broken limestone rocks of various sizes. Over the last few months its grown to something rather large if not surreal. The people I saw stacking rocks seemed to be just kids doing it just for fun. But some of these were pretty massive. Every one has things they like to do for fun and entertainment, but making rock piles seems pretty weird to me. One expects to find the hippys and newagers in Sedona, but here in Galveston?? It just doesn’t seem right. I wonder now if Fort Crockett Park isn’t a new vortex. A letter to the editor of the Galveston Daily News implies that at least someone thinks these things have some value and they may be a tourist attraction. We were promised that the enhancements to Crockett Park would be a tourist attraction. I don’t think stacked rocks was what they had in mind though.
A collection of artwork involving stacks of rocks has drawn visitors to Fort Crockett Park in Galveston.
Vandalism Shows A Lack Of Appreciation
I am appalled, disgusted, furious (I could go on) because some idiot, ruffian, criminal, fool (I could go on) has knocked down many of the stacked rocks on the beach at about 49th Street.
They were beautiful, peaceful, intriguing to look at and already had become a tourist/resident attraction. People were stopping by to take photos, admire the work and even try their hands at stacking.
This is the second time that I am aware of that they have been destroyed. I do not know what can be done, but it is a sad commentary on contemporary society that this has happened.
We can only hope and pray that the artist or artists come back and restore these fantastic stackings.
I don’t really have any issue with any of this, but I do find it a bit strange. Art is all in the eye of the beholder, and in this case perhaps the builder.
Folks Stacking rocks on the Galveston Seawall
When Hurricane Ike struck here on Galveston Island we lost our phone service. By the time we moved back in we got used to using our cell phones and restoring our landlines had a low priority. for a while we put our phone service on “vacation hold” but eventually we just realized that the hookup fees and the extra monthlies didn’t worth it and we let it go.
I did miss having a landline, talking on a real phone for long calls is more comfortable, and although we have lots of spare minutes, unexepected events can add up to extensive cell phone time. So we decided to give Magic jack a try. At $69 for the first year it seems to be worth a shot.
I ordered it on line and a few days later our new Magic Jack plus arrived. It contained the Magic Jack Plus dongle a small 110 volt to USB power unit, a short usb extender and an ethernet cable. Equality picked up a cordless 3 phone set to go with it.
The Magic Jack needs to be connected to a computer to configure and attach a phone number to it. The Device works with Windows and Mac machines it is not Linux compatable. Once it is all configured it can be connected directly to a router directly won”t need a computer anymore.
Once the Magic Jack Plus is plugged into the computer the program is automagically installed and started. The user is guided to selecting a phone number or to transfer their existing number. The menus selections have some upsell options, but is pretty easy to navigate anf only takes 10 or 15 minutes. After the Magic Jack + is configured the user has the option of leaving it plugged into the computer, or to connect it up to the network.
The good news is that the Magic Jack Plus works and it is pretty cheap. The sound quality is excellent exceeding that of cell phones. It delivers on what I expected and wanted. Unlike the old Magic Jack a computer doesn’t have to be up and running. As I type this Vonage is and Comcast are advertising their basic services at around $20 to $30 dollars a month about what the yearly rate is for Magic Jack Plus.
Magic Jack isn’t without some issues. If you use it to replace a regular phone line You have more points of failure. If you lose cable or power or a router failure you lose your phone. One might consider putting A phone Modems, Router and Magic Jack on a UPS. These are low power devices
Their built in service includes an service which will pick up the phone after 4 rings. The answering service announces it is a Magic Jack service. If you wish to use your own answering machine you have to set it to pick up on the 3rd ring. This doesn’t give much time to answer the phone. It would be nice if we could have the choice of disabling automatic answering altogether.
It came as no surprise to find that their support is lousy. It is only available via Web Chat. and that it is pretty lousy. The web and forums are full of complaints about their service support. I had attempted to reclaim my old home phone line. We had abandoned the number 2 years ago, but it still isn’t in use. The installation accepted my old number, and it reported the number as my ID when I dialed into my cell. I couldn’t call into my phone. I didn’t know what the problem was and and called support via the chat. They had me reconfigure reboot and moved me up to whats called a 10% level support and she ran me they ran me through the same procedures. Finally she gave up, and told me they would refer me to engineering and they would get back to me. I was on chat for about an hour.
After the unsuccessful chats I checked my email before I prepared to leave for the day. I found an email with a time stamp of 6:02am that I received just as I was beginning the support chat telling me that my phone number transfer was unsuccessful. I went back and picked out another phone number and everything worked properly. It seems to me that the support people should have been able to find this out.
Magic Jack plus delivers a good quality phone line, Once it is up and running there should be little need for any support. Set up and configuration is straightforward, but a user might be in trouble if they are need in need of customer support. There are some preresiquites to get the Magic Jack working.
People who live or spend time out of the country might find this particularly usefull. One can set it up using a stateside phone number and call abe called without dealing with international rates or calling plans. The unit is very small and can be used with regular headset and mike available anywhere. I am happy with mine because I can use a regular phone and line. I can send or receive a fax if I want to. Its probably never going to be a real minutes saver on my phone because I get free minutes on my cell service if talking to others on the same plan. So I if I call one of the phones in my family with this its going to count toward my minutes.
The bottom line is this thing works and is cheap.